The Trypes John, & Toni Baumgartner

The Trypes John, & Toni Baumgartner On Zig At The Gig

Pravda’s March 18 release of “Music for Neighbors” marks the 40th anniversary of the formation of The Trypes in the blue-collar New Jersey town of Haledon, NJ, which was the hometown of The Feelies and later spawned kindred bands Yung Wu, The Willies and Speed The Plough. How Haledon became an incubator for these bands, who went on to spread their sound far and wide, is a matter of speculation. Maybe it was just a place in time in the early 80s when anything seemed possible to a group of suburban friends “Music for Neighbors” brings together all of The Trypes studio recordings, along with many home and live recordings that explore the band’s quirkiest musical inclinations. It also includes three songs from the band’s 1984 showcase at the Bottom Line in New York, as well as two songs recorded by the original Trypes during a 2017 reunion. Gatefold vinyl coming later this year. Stay tuned! CD available now. Playing moody, psychedelic-influenced folk-rock with a distinctive instrumental pallete, the Trypes are often thought of as a side project of the Feelies, due to the participation of several key members of that band. However, the Trypes were a functioning unit before Feelies leaders Glenn Mercer and Bill Million joined the group, and the group's founders would enjoy a long and productive career after Mercer and Million began pursuing other projects. The Trypes were formed in 1982 by John Baumgartner on keyboards, Toni Paruta on woodwinds, Marc Francia on guitar, Brenda Sauter on bass, and Elbrus Kelemet on lead vocals. The Trypes hailed from Haledon, New Jersey, which was also home to Glenn Mercer and Bill Million, who had put the Feelies on hiatus after touring in support of their debut album. Mercer and Million championed the Trypes and began working with the band; they became a six piece with the addition of drummer Stanley Demeski and the departure of vocalist Kelemet. In 1984, the Trypes released a four-song EP, The Explorer's Hold, but later that year, Mercer and Million left the group to launch a new edition of the Feelies, with Demeski and Sauter becoming the band's new rhythm section. Baumgartner, Paruta, and Francia dissolved the Trypes, but then formed a new group, Speed the Plough, who released their debut album (produced by Bill Million) in 1989. In 2012, Acute Records released a Trypes collection, Music for Neighbors, which collected the material from The Explorer's Hold, a rare compilation track, and a number of unreleased demo recordings. https://www.facebook.com/TheTrypesofHaledon